Mill Springs Battlefield has been added to the National Park System as a national monument/Mill Springs Battlefield Association

Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument has been added to the National Park System, becoming the 421st unit. The battlefield site, in Kentucky, was the site of the first major victory for the Union Army during the Civil War.

“I am pleased to announce the addition of Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument to the National Park Service,” said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Tuesday. “President Trump’s administration and Senate Majority Leader (Mitch) McConnell have worked closely on this important initiative.”

Battlefield land for the new national monument was acquired through donations from the Mill Springs Battlefield Association and Pulaski County, Kentucky.

“In Kentucky, Union forces took their first steps toward winning the Civil War and ending slavery in the United States. I’m proud Mill Springs Battlefield and our Commonwealth’s contributions to the cause of liberty are receiving national recognition,” said McConnell. “Building on the progress of the Battlefield Association, Congressman Hal Rogers and I introduced and led to enactment a measure to preserve Mill Spring’s place in American history. I’m grateful for Secretary Bernhardt’s support to protect this national monument, and I gladly welcomed him and my good friend Congressman Rogers to my U.S. Capitol office for the official signing ceremony."

“We have worked with this driven local community for many years—since some of my first days in Congress--to preserve the Mill Springs Battlefield piece-by-piece. Today’s signing fulfills a long-time dream of the members of the Mill Springs Battlefield Association and so many in southern Kentucky who have worked tirelessly to ensure that this hallowed ground becomes a well-known piece of American history,” said Rogers. “Adding Mills Springs, the site of the first major Union victory in the Civil War, to the National Park System is another victory for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on this battlefield for a stronger union.”

Mill Springs Battlefield memorializes the Union’s victory on Jan. 19, 1862, which led to the collapse of the eastern sector of the Confederate Army’s defense of the Upper South. The Battle of Mill Springs helped to maintain Kentucky’s Union affiliation throughout the war and offered more than a strategic victory for the Union Army. It served as a national rallying call heralded by the Union and provided a much-needed boost to morale, helping to re-energize Northern war interests. 

Among other features, Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument preserves Zollicoffer Park, the centerpiece of the core battlefield area, which was conveyed by Pulaski County to the Park Service. Zollicoffer Park is named for Confederate General Felix K. Zollicoffer, a former U.S. Congressman who was killed in action at Mill Springs in the failed attempt to secure Kentucky for the Confederacy. Zollicoffer Park is the site of the famed “Zollie Tree,” sown from the original white oak tree where the body of Zollicoffer was placed after he was shot during the battle.

The visitor center, donated by Mill Springs Battlefield Association, is located in Nancy, Kentucky, and orients visitors to the central stories of Mill Springs. Visitors to the new national monument can begin a 10-stop, self-guided driving tour of the battlefield from the visitor center.

The visitor center and Zollicoffer Park were previously managed by Mill Springs Battlefield Association with support from Pulaski County and are currently open to the public. During the initial transition of management and operations, the Park Service, Mill Springs Battlefield Association, and Pulaski County will partner to provide visitor information and manage park resources.

The new national monument was authorized by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019, which was signed into law by President Trump.